The Prince and Me
by TheAnimeFicWriter
Summary: Kotori is the princess of a far off kingdom. When her birthday comes, it brings about many different things, including the man that will eventually become her groom.
1. Chapter 1

The Prince and Me

Chapter 1

 **Note:** Here's another one-shot story for you guys, but this will be a little different. There will be other parts after this one so be sure to stick around. This was a fan-requested story. Normally, I would try to vary what I'm putting out, but this couple has been dominating my story attention so I had to pay some respects to them. Also, there are multiple gender bends in here so I hope you guys don't get too freaked out or feel turned away from this story. I promise to make it worth the read.

The day has finally come. Princess Kotori has become marrying age. With her birthday being the talk of the kingdom, everyone dropped their things and headed to the castle to celebrate this glorious days. Neighboring kingdoms also decided to join their day of celebration in hopes that Princess Kotori may find a man worthy of being called her prince.

Kotori's day started off bright and early. She jumped out of bed and ran to her balcony. She looked out over the kingdom and saw the entire town bustling. This put a smile on her face as her door opened up behind her and her servants walked in.

"Today's the day, Princess."

"I know. I'm so excited. It doesn't even seem like it's actually happening."

"Well, the bath is ready for you and your change of clothes are already laid out for you." She suddenly skipped right at one of the servants and took her hands. She then jumped around in circles and laughed.

"Come on. There's no need to be so official. Today's my birthday. It's supposed to be a fun day."

"But Princess…"

"Don't give it a second thought. I relieve all of you of your work for today. Go out, have fun, live like you've never lived before." The three of them looked at each other with bewildered eyes. They couldn't believe they were hearing these words come out of her mouth.

"Princess, are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. If you're stopped by anyone, just tell them that I personally told you not to work and if they have a problem, they can take it up with me." They suddenly bowed to her and smiled.

"Thank you so much, Princess. We wish you a wonderful happy birthday."

"Thank you. Enjoy your day." After that, they stood up straight and left her room. Meanwhile, Kotori exited her room and walked towards the bathroom.

On her trip there, she encountered all of her servants who had a smile on their faces. Although they served her and her family, Kotori never considered them to be servants. They were more like friends that did everything for her, and today was a little special. When some of them were carrying things, she decided to take it from them and walk it to wherever it needed to go. If one of them was directing orders of things, Kotori stood by them and made sure that everything was going smoothly. Of course, all of the workers took notice of her and couldn't help but laugh it off. They all knew she was sweet girl and since today was her birthday, she was definitely letting go more than usual.

Once she finished up with her morning routines, she made her way down to the main hall where her parents were. She ran down the stairs and leapt into their arms.

"Mother, father, good morning."

"Good morning sweetheart. Are you excited about today?"

"Of course. The whole town is bustling and everyone has a smile on their faces. How could I not be excited?"

"Well, it's your birthday. Go have a little bit of fun. We'll handle things here."

"Really?" Her face suddenly lit up as she hugged them once more and ran in the other direction.

Kotori decided to take another exit towards the town since leaving through the main gates would be too much of a scene. However, there was something that helped her out a bit. The townspeople very rarely got to see her in the flesh so most of them didn't even know what she looked like. They only had a rough idea of what she looked like. Instead of using the clothes that her maids put out for her, she grabbed something else to look less conspicuous.

Once she made it into town, she was blown away at what was happening. Everyone was putting up decorations, cooking food, and having loads of fun. She knew her kingdom was a great one, but seeing it live in person only confirmed her belief even more. As she walked through the streets, everyone greeted her without a single hint that she was their princess in the flesh. This put a smile on her face as her plan was finally working. She looked at the all of the booths, talked to some of the townspeople, and even helped out some of the people working. This made it even easier to blend in with everyone around her.

The last place she visited was the sea port. Of all the things she loved in this, the sea was her favorite. In her eyes, the sea was the prettiest and most mysterious thing in the world. She walked down the pier and watched all of the ships make their way into the bay. As she did, she knew that most of the ships were from neighboring kingdoms. Their ships were huge and so pretty. As they all started to unload, Kotori decided to greet them into the kingdom. She gave them a handshake and a wonderful smile that brightened up all of their days.

Unfortunately, she couldn't stay there for long since it was starting to fill up quickly with foreigners. She decided to head back into town to get one last looked at things. When she did, she noticed that there was a flower shop that she had never seen before. She knew at that moment that that would be her final destination for the day.

She walked into the shop and was immediately consumed by the freshness of all of the flowers. She could smell so many different kinds without a clue as to what they actually were. It was so colorful. Red flowers, blue flowers, pink flowers; she felt like she was in the middle of a rainbow.

"Ah, good morning young lady. How may I help you?"

"Oh, I'm just looking. Thank you though."

"No problem. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

"I will." She resumed walking around the shop until there was one flower that caught her attention. "Wow. So pretty." The flower she was looking at was unlike anything she's ever seen. It was a shade of dark blue that took her breath away. It had a total of eight petals around it and in the middle were q-tip shaped things that made her giggle.

"These are quite stunning, just like you." There was a voice behind her which made her turn around. When she did, she met eyes with the most handsome man she's ever seen. He had amber eyes with lovely blue hair. "Excuse me sir, would you happen to have these as just a flower?"

"Of course. Let me get one for you."

"Thank you." Meanwhile, Kotori was speechless. This man in front of her was something out a fairy tale. "I'm sorry. I must be making you uncomfortable." At that moment, Kotori finally snapped out of her trance.

"Ah haha, no, no. I'm fine. You just startled me is all."

"I'm terribly sorry." He suddenly took her hand and kissed it. "It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

"I-I-I-I feel the same way."

"Here you go sir."

"Thank you." The shopkeeper handed him that same flower, but without the stem. He then put it in the base of her little hair loop. "Perfect. You look beautiful."

"T-T-Thank you." Ding dong! At that moment, the bells from the castle rung which meant that it was finally time to enter the castle grounds.

"My apologies, young miss. I must be going. I hope to see you again sometime." He kissed her hand once more and ran out of the store without another word. On the other hand, Kotori was still standing their like an idiot. Her head was on fire and she didn't even know where she was anymore. It wasn't until the shopkeeper came up behind her and told her that celebration was starting that she returned to normal and ran back to the castle.

When she arrived at the castle, her maids quickly changed her into her birthday dress and guided her to the balcony of the castle. Once she was there, she took her place in the middle of her parents and greeted everyone inside of the castle grounds. It was hard to see their faces since they were so far, but it was obvious that they were eight very important people standing in front of all of them.

"All hail the majesties of the Minami!" That voice broke out of the crowd as everyone got down on one knee and took a bow. As this happened, Kotori couldn't help but be amazed by this sight.

"Such a magnificent sight, isn't sweetheart."

"Yeah, there's so many people here."

"Of course, and they're all here for you." Her father smiled and walked forward. "Greetings, my fellow townspeople. I want to welcome you all to the castle grounds, and I would also like to welcome our 8 very special guests who are to here to win my daughters hand in marriage." He turned to look at her, but she was too embarrassed to look back at him. "Now, would you all be so kind as to introduce yourselves." The 8 of them took a step forward while Kotori's mother pushed her near the edge so that she could get a good look.

"I am Hoshizora Rin of the Thunder Kingdom."

"I am Koizumi Hanayo of the Forrest Kingdom."

"I am Toujou Nozomi of the Mist Kingdom."

"I am Yazawa Nico of the Western Kingdom."

"I am Kousaka Honoka of the Northern Kingdom."

"I am Nishikino Maki of the Cloud Kingdom."

"I am Ayase Eli of the Sun Kingdom."

"I am Sonoda Umi of the Isle Kindgom." At that moment, Kotori's eyes shot wide open.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

The Prince and Me

Chapter 2

 **Note:** Hey everyone, I'm back and I'm so sorry for missing out this past week. A lot of things happened that I just don't want to get into. Putting that aside, here's the update and I hope you all enjoy.

"Welcome to our kingdom, 8 princes of the isles. We do hope you enjoy your stay." At that moment, the eight of them bowed to him. "Enough of the formalities, let's celebrate my beautiful daughter's birthday." The entrance door of the castle opened up and everyone started to file into the grand hall. The king and queen attempted to make their way down, but they quickly noticed that Kotori was acting a little strange.

"What's wrong sweety?" She didn't respond. She just continued to stare down at the courtyard. "Kotori, is something wrong?" Her mother grabbed her by the shoulders which finally snapped out of her trance.

"Huh? Nothing's wrong. I guess I was just spacing out."

"Well, try not to do too much of that. Today is your birthday, after all. You'll be meeting a lot of people so be sure to keep a smile on your face." Kotori smiled and made her way through the halls with her parents.

After about a minute or so, they finally arrived at the grand hall where everyone was waiting. Once they came into sight, everyone bowed once more and Kotori's father started the celebration. The maids of the house brought out drinks and everyone raised their glass to Kotori's birthday. After the toast, they took their seats in their chairs near the end of the hall. That's when the princes started to approach Kotori for the first time. She was nervous because all of this was pretty much for her and it was kind of her only chance to find someone who she could call her prince. Thankfully, there was some organization so that not all 8 of them approached her at once. The first one immediately caught her attention. His hair was blonde, he had light blue eyes, and he had a very mature stature.

"Princess, it's an honor to meet you." He bowed to her and she stuck out her hand. At that moment, he gently grabbed it out of the air and kissed it. "I'm Ayase Eli of the Sun Kingdom. If you didn't know, the weather is perfect. We would be proud to have you visit."

"Um, haha, thank you." She was so lost for words.

"If I may, you are beautiful."

"Oh, thank you. You are very handsome yourself."

"Please, you majesty does not need to give me such compliments. I thank you for your kind words though."

"You're welcome." It was hard to keep a conversation like this alive. It was obviously that this man was way too mature for her. The way he talked, the way he stood up… Everything about him was just out of her league, and she was the princess. After him, Kotori managed to get a change of pace. However, it wasn't really a good change of pace.

"Hello princess, my name is Hoshizora Rin of the Thunder Kingdom. Disregard the name, things where I'm from are actually pretty laid back. I must say you're a sight for sore eyes." Kotori was totally taken off guard by this. This man was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Eli was a very respectable, sophisticated man, but this one was energetic and kind of a goofball.

"It's nice to meet you."

"So how does it feel to be of marrying age? I bet it feels great. You can finally choose a man that can be by your side," he said as he gestured to himself. "I am of marrying age as well." All Kotori could do was smile for the more she talked to this man, the more she was turned away from him. Actually, she had her eyes scanning the grand hall for someone else. She wasn't sure if it was actually the person she was hoping for, but just the thought of it excited her. Once Rin's time was over, the next prince made their way in front of her. He had short, red hair and had an almost cool atmosphere to him.

"Princess, it's an honor to meet you," he said as he bowed his head to her. "My name is Nishikino Maki and I must say, you're so beautiful." It was almost like déjà vu. The man a few before him said the same thing, but the way this one said it made her feel weak to the knees.

"Uh, thank you." The way he looked at her made her unsure of herself. She couldn't describe. He was very handsome, but it was almost as if he was looking down on her. Right as he was about to open his mouth, one of his guards tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

"My apologies, princess, but something just came up. Shall we do this again another time?" He grabbed her hand and kissed it. As his lips touched her hand, a chill was sent down her spine. He was otherworldly in every fashion and Kotori just couldn't explain why that was. As he was escorted away, another prince made his way to her. However, there was something interesting about this one too. He was small and very shy-looking. Two of his guards were standing by his side as he introduced himself to her.

"H-Hello princess, I am Koizumi Hanayo of the Forest Kingdom. I, um…" He dropped his head in embarrassment.

"Please excuse our majesty. His father was put on his deathbed and recently, he was called to be the new king."

"Oh no, it's fine. It's really nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand, but he was too nervous to take it.

"Your majesty. You're supposed to take her hand."

"Oh…" He suddenly grabbed it out of the air and bowed to her. This cuteness was almost too much. She giggled to herself. He was obviously too young for her, but it was just nice that he came to celebrate her birthday. His guards continued to try and force a conversation out of him, but nothing came up. Eventually, the guards escorted him away and thanked Kotori for her time. After that, another prince approached her and was built completely different than the others. He was a little taller and had a lot more to him than the others.

"I am Toujou Nozomi of the Mist Kingdom. Compared to my home, this kingdom is beautiful. One can see everything for miles."

"Thank you. It is nice to look out see in all of the directions."

"Did you know that our kingdom is working with science to prove that magic really exists?" Kotori was immediately pulled into this conversation since she was always interested in magic.

"Really? Have you figured anything out?"

"Not really, but I have something special for you." he suddenly stuck out his left hand and waved his right hand around it. Out of nowhere, a white rose appeared out of thin air and he handed it to her. "Somehow, I've been gifted with this power. It would be an honor to be by your side with this ability."

"Wow, that's so cool." Kotori was so entranced by this little magic act, but her father had to step in before something happened.

"That was quite impressive Prince Toujou, but this isn't meant to be an application process. Let things happen on their own."

"Ah, of course. My apologies." He bowed once more and left her alone for the next man to come over.

"Hello princess. My name is Kousaka Honoka of the Northern Kingdom and it's an honor to meet you." As the others did, she greeted her with a kiss on her hand. Kotori tried to get used to this formality, but whenever it happened, she got so flustered. "You've probably never heard to eh Northern Kingdom and that's because we're very subtle. We don't do a lot of things that attract a lot of attention, but we are very cooperative with your kingdom."

"Aw, well thank you. That means a lot, and I'm sure there are a lot of fun things to there." The prince tried to muster up a smile, but he knew the place where he was from wasn't anything special. After him, there was only one left and that caused Kotori to get a little antsy. She thought there was someone who she recognized earlier in the day, but apparently she was wrong.

"So what do you think, honey?"

"Huh?"

"The princes. Do any of them catch your attention?"

"I mean, they're all really sweet in their own special way. It's just that I don't think any of them match with me."

"Well, this is a weekend celebration. Just give them some time. I'm sure one of them will come around."

"Okay. If you will excuse me, I need to step away for a bit."

"Alright. Be careful." Kotori got off of her throne and started to traverse through the crowd. As she did, she came across some of the townspeople who said happy birthday to her. She thanked them for their kind words and moved on. Even though she didn't tell her parents, she obviously had the motive to find that person she met earlier in the day, but as she wandered around longer and longer, the more it seemed like that person wasn't there. Right as she lost hope, someone bumped into her which caused her to fall to the ground. However, they were quick enough to grab her hand before she could. At that moment, her eyes widened as she was completely lost for words.

"You're…"

"I'm so sorry about that." The man didn't look up until he heard her voice. When she looked up, he immediately pulled her onto her feet and knelt down. "Princess, my sincerest apologies. I was not paying attention to what I was doing. Please be gentle with your punishment." Kotori didn't respond. She was still lost for words. "Wait a second… You're the one from…"

"This morning." Kotori finally spoke what was on her mind. "You're a prince? How could you not tell me?"

"Princess, I apologize for everything I've done. My behavior now and this morning was unacceptable. I haven't treated you like a princess. I don't deserve to be in your presence." He got off his knee and was about to leave when Kotori spoke up once more.

"Please don't go." He stopped midway and looked back. "I want to know more about you."

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

The Prince and Me

Chapter 3

 **Note:** So I don't know if you guys heard, but instead of making this into a 4-chapter story like I originally was going to do, I'm making this into a full-length story. My only reason is that it's growing on me incredibly fast and it's fun to write so might as well do what's fun. Aside from that, I'm going to try to get this story on a more regular schedule than what it's been. With all that thrown at you guys, I hope you enjoy the update. One more thing, I apologize to all of the Nico fans out there, but Kotori did meet Nico. I just couldn't think of anything interesting for her. I sincerely apologize if your best girl didn't get any spotlight. I hope you understand.

"Get to know me?" She nodded her head like a little child. "When all of the princes introduced themselves to me, how come you didn't do the same?" He bowed his head.

"I was too embarrassed. When we were in the castle courtyard and got our first look at you, I knew you were beautiful, but when I arrived here and saw you up close, I couldn't do it." Kotori was dying inside. This man looked so composed and yet, he was letting out a side of him that he probably didn't show to a lot of people.

"But you're doing it now, aren't you?" Finally, a smile appeared on his face.

"I guess you're right." He got on his knee and did his introduction again, only this time, correctly. "Hello princess, I am Sonoda Umi of the Isle Kingdom. It's an honor to make your acquaintance." She stuck out her hand and he kissed it ever so gently which made her weak at the knees.

"Okay, hehe, enough of the formalities." She immediately pulled her hand away and he returned to his feet.

"So?"

"So what?"

"You said you wanted to get to know me more. What would you like to know?" Her face went all red.

"Oh right, haha, I knew that." Her ditzy aura put a smile on Umi's face. "I guess I'll start off with the basics. "How old are you?"

"I am 19 years of age. I believe you just turned 18, right?" She turned her head in embarrassment. "It's okay. Being younger is always better." She got even more embarrassed and Umi knew that she was helping out by continuing to talk.

"Anyway, let's talk about something else. Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope, I'm an only child."

"Me too!" She sprouted up happily, but then immediately slumped in sadness. "It sucks. I've been alone all of my life and it's horrible."

"Yes, it's true that being an only child is boring, but it's not always bad."

"Like how?"

"You know, like… Actually, I don't really know." Kotori started to laugh to herself.

"You know, you're that good of a talker."

"I'm sorry. I try my best though."

The two of them continued to talk through the day. Kotori was mostly in charge of the questions while Umi was responsible for answering. Every question she asked, Umi answered it fully and honestly and everything she said interested Kotori. It seemed like this man was something different, but was still someone she could get close to. Their conversation managed to last the entire time without any awkward silences. Once Kotori ran out of questions, she allowed Umi to ask her any question he wanted. Of course, he knew his place so he didn't ask anything too personal, but Kotori wanted him to ask her better questions. He didn't really know what that meant so he just tried his hardest to keep her interested in the conversation.

As the day came to an end, they noticed that the sun was reaching the horizon. Umi commented on its beauty and then gave Kotori a compliment about her being even more beautiful. This caught her off guard, but then it immediately brought her back to reality.

"Oh my gosh, is that late already? My parents told me to come back at nightfall." She suddenly looked around and saw that they were a ways away from the castle. "They're going to be so mad at me if I'm late."

"Don't worry about it princess." At that moment, he whistled as loud as he could and after a few seconds, a beautiful white horse came charging towards them. "Hello Buttercup, thank you for coming." Kotori suddenly giggled to herself.

"Buttercup? Haha."

"Hey, I'm sorry she was given to me when I was young and I couldn't think of a better girl name at the time. Anyway, there's no time to waste." Umi hauled himself onto his horse and opened his hand up to Kotori. "Let's get you back to the castle." She slowly put her hand on his and he pulled her up behind him. "Hang on tight. Hyah!" With one snap of the reins, his horse ran to the castle at ridiculous speeds. Because they were going so fast, Kotori was forced to wrap her arms around his body. When she did, she quickly noticed how warm he was. That's when she gently placed her head against his back and enjoyed this close encounter until the trip was over.

He rode the horse through the courtyard and carefully carried Kotori off of his horse. He smiled down at her, indicating that they made it in time. He then placed her on her feet and fixed her hair.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"Um, thank you."

"It was my pleasure princess. Now, I think you're parents are waiting for you."

"Oh right." She suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him lower to her. She leaned in, kissed him on the cheek, and left for her parents. Umi was so surprised that she would do something like that even though they still didn't really know each other. He felt his cheek and could feel the warmth that she left with that kiss. At that moment, he felt a tightening in his chest that he didn't understand. Meanwhile, Kotori had the same feeling as she ran to her parents, but she couldn't think about it or else she wouldn't make it in time.

When she met up with her parents, they got her changed into her night dress and prepared for the evening party. This was where most of the birthday events would happen. The birthday cake, presents, and the very special first dance of age where she would actually pick who she wants as her prince. As she stepped into the grand hall with her night dress, she immediately turned heads including all of the princes who came for her.

"Welcome everyone. Now, we will be celebrating my daughter's birthday." At that moment, a huge birthday cake came through the doors being escorted by some of their maids. "Thank you everyone for coming and joining us. Have a great rest of the night and enjoy yourselves." As the cake was being passed around, Kotori just took a seat where her mother and father was.

"What's wrong sweety?"

"Huh?"

"Why aren't you excited? This is going to be the best part of the night. You'll finally get to choose someone to be your prince." She wanted to answer her, but she just didn't feel like it. She knew who she wanted to pick, but because it was such an easy choice, she didn't want her to know about it yet.

Boom! At that moment, the grand hall doors opened and in walked all 8 of the princes. They were dressed in even nicer apparel than earlier. Kotori even noticed this and leaned in on her chair to get a good look. They were all so dashing, almost to the point of her not knowing who to pick anymore. Once they entered the hall, they lined up in the middle of the huge room and looked right at Kotori. Her father then stood up from his chair and gave yet another announcement.

"Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for. My daughter will now choose her future husband." He turned around and reached out his hand to her. She hesitantly grabbed it and was pulled out of her chair. As he did, he pushed her towards the middle of the room so she could get another look at these handsome men.

She walked down the line of men and for some reason, it was almost impossible to pick. Although she spent most of her time with Umi and knew the most about him, the way they looked now made her think again about who she should pick. On the other hand, Umi didn't make it obvious. He just stood there and waited for her response while the other princes gave her some interesting looks to try and convince her that they're the best pick for her. The grand hall was completely silent as they waited for Kotori's answer. It wasn't until she stopped right in front of Umi when everyone realized who her answer was.

"Sonoda Umi of the Isle Kingdom, would you do me the honor of being my prince?" Without losing his cool, he stepped forward and grabbed her hand with such gentleness.

"Princess, the honor is all mine." He kissed her hand and everyone cheered.

"Our princess has her prince!"

"Woohoo! Let's party." As the grand hall started to become rowdy, the other 7 princes walked up to her, thanked her for her wonderful hospitality, and departed back to their kingdoms. Meanwhile, the people who accompanied Umi on this trip went back to the ship to unload their supplies.

"Ah, so this is your ideal prince?" Her father walked up behind her and got a good look at Umi. "What's your name, son?"

"Sonoda Umi of the Isle Kingdom."

"Hm, Sonoda? How come you didn't introduce yourself earlier?"

"Um, well, it's…" Kotori suddenly stepped in.

"It turns out that we actually met before we opened the gates to the castle. Sorry if he didn't make it official. He just didn't want to seem rote."

"It's okay." He stuck out his hand Umi returned the gesture. However, that wasn't all to it. As their hands came in contact, he pulled him along to the side of the room and wrapped his arm around his shoulder with a completely different look on his face. "I trust you know what you're doing. You do anything to hurt my little girl, you're as good as dead." Umi suddenly gulped as loud as possible.

"I-I understand, your majesty." In the blink of an eye, Kotori's father put a smile on his face and laughed off that little encounter. He walked her back to Kotori and left the two to their own devices.

"What was that all about?" Umi was still sweating a bit after that comment.

"Haha, it was nothing." He thought it was a good lie, but the look on his face totally showed that he was threatened. Thankfully, Kotori wasn't observant enough to realize that kind of look so she brushed it off and guided Umi to the dance floor where they shared their very first dance.

The two of them took the floor all by themselves as everyone watched. Umi was careful to handle the situation with care. He precisely put his hand on her waist, not a millimeter lower. He gently held her hand and the two of them started to dance. Immediately, the crowd was entranced by these two. They already looked like the perfect match. People were crying and smiling all for Kotori. This was such an important point in her life and she was finally doing it with someone special. Only time would tell if it would last. Umi, on the other hand, had to make sure that it would last or else his life would be over in a flash.

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

The Prince and Me

Chapter 4

 **Note:** Yeah, I'll think I'll make Tuesdays the day for this story. I hope you're all enjoying it and keep letting me know how I'm doing so I can improve. Thank you so much.

As the night came to an end, Umi and Kotori managed to make the most of their time. All of the townspeople left the castle with smiles on their faces as the two of them were already starting to make the perfect couple. Once everyone left, Umi and his guards headed towards the gate as well.

"Well, your majesties, thank you so much for your hospitality. And thank you princess, for choosing me. I promise that I'll treat you like a true princess." He grabbed Kotori's hand and kissed it once more. This was becoming so common for her and yet, that kiss made her feel so weak. "I shall take my leave now." Right as she turned around, Kotori grabbed his arm which made him look back.

"Wait, you're actually leaving?"

"Well, not precisely. My crew managed to find a vacant inn. We'll be staying there for the time being."

"But you're a prince. You don't have to stay in such a place. You and you're men can stay in our castle."

"Haha, princess. I appreciate your kindness, but we've only just met. I'm sure I can manage sleeping in an inn. Sometimes, it's always fun experiencing new things. Like today, I got to experience meeting you and it was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me." Kotori's face suddenly went red.

"Fine. I'll let you stay there just for one night." Umi smiled brightly as Kotori turned around and stormed back into the castle. On the other hand, Umi didn't dawdle. He turned around and made his way towards his men who were gathering all of their things and walking them over to the inn. He saw some of them struggling to move some of their things and decided to help them.

"Oh, prince, you don't have do this."

"It's fine. We'll get done faster this way and then you'll be able to rest for the night."

"Well, thank you." With the help of Umi, he and his men were able to load everything they needed into the inn. Once that was done, they got their rooms and settled in for a while.

When Umi got his room, he looked around and had a weird feeling going through his body. Even though he was used to the huge rooms with a lot of space, this room offered something different that he kind of enjoyed. It was a lot smaller, but because of it, it was a lot warmer and a lot more secure. He sat on the bed and was surprised how comfortable it was. He then laid down to make sure that it wasn't just a first impression. The bed was the perfect balance between soft and supported. It was so comfortable that he nearly feel asleep. Unfortunately, there was something that kept him from it. As he closed his eyes, the window slammed open and something fell onto the floor. He kicked his legs onto the floor and looked where the sound was coming from. When he saw what made that noise, he couldn't believe it. It was Kotori.

"Princess, what are you doing?" He ran over and knelt down in front of her.

"I… I w-wanted to s-see you." At that moment, a blast of cold wind blew through the room that made Kotori shake uncontrollably.

"Are you crazy? You can't do this. You'll catch a cold." He stood and grabbed the blanket off of the bed to put around Kotori's body. He then held her behind her back and underneath her legs to carry her over the bed. Right as he did, Kotori's heart was bursting out of her chest. The way he carried her was incredible. He was so gentle and so warm that she could melt right on the spot. Once he lair her down on the bed, he pulled up a chair next to the bed and made sure that she was catching anything.

"Um, I'm sorry." Umi had his hand in face as he shook his face.

"Princess, do your parents or your guards know that you're here?" She was quiet for a few seconds before answering him.

"N-No." His face palming continued to go on the longer she talked.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I just wanted to see you." He finally uncovered his face and saw that Kotori had a really sad look on her face. "I've been alone all of my life so when I met you, things just seemed to go so well. I thought that we could continue that until the morning."

"Princess, I know you mean well, but you can't cause trouble like this. What if they figured you're not there? Everyone would start to panic, and all of that panic would be wasted when they figure out that you're here."

"I'm sorry. I guess I'll head back then." As she was tried to sit up, Umi held her shoulder and stopped her process.

"I can't let you go out there this late at night. I'll go over there and let them know. If I come back and you're not here, I swear…" Kotori suddenly scurried back underneath the blankets and snuggled as much as she could.

"I won't. I promise." He face palmed once more before standing up and taking his leave.

Once he left the room, Kotori threw the blankets off of her body and ran to the window. She looked around to see where he was and he was telling the truth. He went to the castle gates to tell them the situation. Thankfully, it went well since the guards didn't seem to react in any extreme way. That's when Kotori took a sigh of relief. After that, she decided to wander the room. He didn't have any time to unpack so things were still pretty clean. The only thing that was out in the open was his jacket. His jacket was dark blue with blue jewels studded on its shoulders. Kotori was so entranced by this beauty that she had to try it on. She threw it over her shoulders and immediately could feel his warmth. The jacket was too big for her so she was able to cuddle with every inch of the jacket.

"Oh my, this is so warm. He even smells good too."

"Um, excuse me." Kotori suddenly froze where she was as that voice was very familiar. "What are you doing?" She slowly turned her head to see Umi standing the doorway with the most confused look on his face.

"I, uh, was keeping it warm for you."

"I see." He walked and closed the door behind him.

"Um, could I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What are these jewels called? They were beautiful." Umi walked in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He then ran his hands down the sleeves and then up the collar.

"Looks pretty good on you. These jewels are called Aquamarine. They are the gem of my birth month. My kingdom also harvests these since they are only found in the deep depths of the sea."

"Wow, that's so cool."

"Actually…" He turned and walked over to one of his bags. He rummaged through each one obviously looking for something and when he found it, he walked back over to Kotori with his hands behind his back. I've been saving this and I thought that this would be the perfect time. Put out your hands and close your eyes." Kotori followed his instructions as he put the object in her hands. "Okay, you can open your eyes now." When she did, she saw a light blue gem the size of her palm occupying her hand.

"Oh my gosh, this is beautiful."

"This is the most valuable finding we've ever come across. I'm not a big fan of priceless gems like this so I thought maybe I could give it to someone. But then I thought, who could receive such a thing? Their own beauty must rival this gem and win. That's why I'm giving it to you. You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He smiled and Kotori's face nearly exploded. She couldn't believe she was hearing this from him. She suddenly turned around to hide her embarrassment.

"W-What are you saying? You're just making fun of me."

"Maybe… But true beauty is hard to find and no one should ever joke about that." She couldn't take it anymore. She pushed him out of the way and ran out of the room. "Princess, what's wrong?" He chased after her as he quickly realized that she was running back to the castle. He watched as she safely made it back through the gates. That's when he knew that his job was over. He headed back to his room and turned in for the night.

Meanwhile, Kotori made her way into the castle with her hand over her chest. Her heart was beating uncontrollably and she couldn't understand why that was. The beating was so intense that she could barely walk straight. It wasn't until she ran unto her father when she calmed down a bit.

"Kotori, what are you doing out so late? You've had a long day. You need your rest."

"Right. Good night." She leaned on his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night sweety." He watched her walk towards her room when something caught his eye. "Wait just a minute young lady." She stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of his voice. "That jacket. That's not yours, is it?"

"Uh."

"If I remember correctly, Prince Umi was wearing that…" He couldn't even finish. Kotori ran away and escaped from sight. She didn't stop until she reached her room where she slammed the door behind her and locked it. She then fell onto her butt, still with her heart beating like a drum.

"What is this feeling? I'm all hot and flustered." She started to grow weak as she slowly fell on her side. "What is going on?" before she could answer her own question, she realized that there was something in her hand. She brought it up to her face and saw the beautiful gem staring her straight in the face. "This is beautiful though. Ugh! No more. I need to go to sleep." Kotori pulled herself off the ground and got ready for bed.

Just across the way, Umi walked over the window and looked at the castle. All of the lights were slowly being put out as he realized that it was finally time to sleep.

"Good night princess."

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

The Prince and Me

Chapter 5

When morning came around, Kotori was up and at it. She was so excited to finally spend some time with Umi. Those little moments they had to together could never amount to what she was planning. They were going to do all sorts of things. She didn't know how to plan everything out so that it could all fit in one day. However, she her first order of business was to get ready. She ran around like a chicken with its head cut off until she was finally ready. She then ran to the door, still thinking of what to do and when to do it. As she opened the door, she immediately ran into someone.

"Oh sorry, I… Umi-kun. What are you doing here?"

"Good morning princess. I came to pick you up." Her face suddenly lit up with joy, but then immediately returned to normal.

"I totally forgot about this, but what should I call you? I kind of get the feeling that Umi-kun was a little too familiar right from the start."

"No, whatever is comfortable with you. I'm sure nothing will bother me."

"Um, how about… Umi-chan?"

"Haha, if that suits your taste then go ahead. Since we're on the topic, if you don't mind, I'll continue to address you as princess." Kotori was about to speak up, but decided to leave it at that. She had a lot of things planned and this little conversation that they were having was just ruining the other things. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back through the courtyard. "What are we doing?"

"Things. Just come along."

"Alright, well, my horse is right there if you're planning on doing things away from town."

"Perfect. We shall use your horse." She changed course and started to walk towards his horse. When they got there, Kotori let go of his hand and stepped right in front of his horse. "Good morning Buttercup. How are you today?" Buttercup nuzzled his nose against Kotori's cheek which caused her to laugh. "I'll take that as being wonderful." When she looked over at Umi, she saw him on his knee ready to hoist her up onto the horse. Once the two of them were ready, they decided to head out. However, they were stopped by one of her maids who was carrying a basket.

"Princess, you forgot this!"

"Oh, thank you so much."

"Are you sure you won't be needing any of our services today?"

"Nope. Enjoy your day."

"Don't worry. She'll be safe with me," Umi said as he bowed his head. Her maid backed away as the horse trotted off to wherever Kotori decided to go first.

Kotori immediately directed them towards the forest near the castle. There was a trail that lead through the greenery and eventually brought them to the bottom of a waterfall. This was their first stop. Umi climbed off and helped Kotori return to the ground. She then set up her little picnic and asked Umi to join her. He sat down on one side of the blanket and Kotori sat directly across from him.

"Wow, this place is beautiful. How did you know this place even existed?"

"There are a lot of places I know about. When you live in a castle, you can't stay in the forever. I found all of these places on my own and they've been my secret hiding places ever since."

"Oh, is it alright for me to be here? I don't want to intrude."

"Of course it's okay. Why else would I bring you here?"

"I don't know." Kotori laughed as she pulled out the food from the basket. Umi watched her pull an entire kitchen out of that small thing and couldn't help but comment about it. "Wow, were they worried that we might starve or something?" She laughed again.

"I have no idea. My maids always make sure that I'm set for whatever I'm doing."

"Well, that's good. I can tell that they really care for you."

"Yeah, they do. My parents made sure to hire the best people and all of the ones who see are the ones who pretty much raised me when my parents were too busy. Anyway, I want to know more about you. Tell me everything." Umi laughed at the ridiculousness of Kotori's request, but decided to fulfill it to the best of his ability.

"Well, I'm 19 and an only child. My kingdom consists of five islands that all work together in order to thrive. Like I mentioned before, we rely on the ocean. It's such an important part of our lives. We even make it a ritual to try and have a child born on our sacred. It's said that if you're born on that island, the heart of the sea will protect you for the end of your days."

"Oh my gosh, that's so beautiful. We're you born there."

"I was."

"I don't know why I even asked that question. You're blue hair says it all. It's almost as if I'm looking at the ocean right now."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Well, I like it," she said with a smile. Umi returned the smile and continued his story.

"As for me, nothing is really that special. Even though I was born into the throne, my father trained me as a knight. He said that kings are not just rulers. They are protectors and if you can't protect your own people, you are not fit for the thrown. That is why I always carry my sword. It lets the people around me know that I can and will protect them from any dangers that we may come across. Now, my sword belongs to you princess." He unsheathed his sword and carefully handed it to Kotori. She took it with such grace and examined it as if she had any knowledge of craftsmanship.

"Wow, this is beautiful. Your blacksmith must be world-renowned."

"Actually, I made this."

"Really?" He nodded his head.

"My father also emphasized the importance of bonds. By forging my own sword, it makes the two of us stronger than normal. He also that that concept applies to relationships. He said that when I find the right person, I should give them my everything in hopes that they know that I will always be there for them." Kotori couldn't believe the things she was hearing. This man was literally straight from a fairy tale, except that he definitely was real. "Now what about you? I'd love to hear about the wonderful life of a princess." Kotori turned her head in embarrassment.

"How about this?" She stood up and grabbed his hand. "I'll show you some other places and tell you on the way."

"Sounds like a plan." He got on his feet, but as he did, Kotori backed up and slipped on a tree branch, causing her to fall backwards.

"Hyah!"

"Princess!" He threw his body at her and took the whole impact of the fall. Meanwhile, Kotori lay safely on his chest, completely unaware of what just happened. "Princess, are you okay?"

"I am. Thank you."

"Of course. I promised your father that I would protect you…" She suddenly put her finger over his mouth to stop him from talking.

"I know what my father said. However, you're not just doing it because of him, are you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"We're both only childs. That alone creates a void in our hearts that can only be filled by one other thing. The comfort of another person we care about. Umi-chan, I really do love you."

"I love you too."

"Then kiss me?"

"Huh?"

"All of this time we've been together, you still haven't kissed me. I've made it obvious that you're the one I've chosen to be by side. Why won't you kiss me?"

"Well, that kind of thing shouldn't be rushed. I wanted to wait for the right moment."

"Is this not the right moment?" She was pinning him in a corner with no escape. By now, there was only one thing to do and he decided to do it. He carefully put Kotori on her back and towered over her.

"Princess, if I may?"

"You don't need to ask." Umi brushed Kotori's hair out of the way and gently slid his hand down the side of her face. He then lowered his body and the two of them shared a kiss for the very first time. Right as their lips touched, Kotori felt like all of her strength was being sucked out of body. The only thing she could feel was the warmth of this man she was kissing. As their kiss continued, a strange thought came to mind. Kotori remembered her mother telling her to be wary of men. She said men were rough and sketchy. However, she didn't feel this way with this man. He was kind, gentle, and so caring of her feelings. Was this a dream come true? Did dreams like this even exist? Finally, the two of them ran out of breath and Umi broke away, opening his eyes to see Kotori's face completely flustered.

"Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry." She shook her head.

"How can you possibly be like this?"

"Like what?"

"You're so kind. You're so gentle. You treat me like every woman on this Earth should be treated? I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you." Umi's eyes shot open as tears started to fall out of Kotori's eyes. He pulled her upright and wrapped his arms around her body.

"Don't say things like that."

"But I don't. I've been pampered all of my life with being a princess. I was able to see some of the townspeople during the party and so many of them looked so sad. It may not have been obvious, but I could tell." This was a completely different side of Kotori that he wasn't expecting to see. However, he knew how to solve this. First, he stroked his fingers through her hair and told her that to calm down. After that, he motioned Buttercup to kneel down behind Kotori. He then laid her down against Buttercup's stomach and rose to his feet.

"So you're saying that all of this is unfair. You don't think that you need any more of this," he said as she gestured outwards. She nodded her head. "Then how about this? We'll ride into town and spend the day with the people. We'll give back what we can. How does that sound?" Kotori wiped her eyes and muscled out a smile.

"You're ridiculous."

"How?"

"I never know what you're going to do next. You're such a mystery that it annoys." He knelt down and held Kotori's hand as he kissed it.

"Sometimes, the unexpected is what makes life a joy to be a part of."

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

The Prince and Me

Chapter 6

Umi and Kotori rode into town which was an immediate head turner. Everyone saw the two of them ride in on Buttercup and bowed. However, once they found a spot to house Buttercup, Umi explained the whole thing. He emphasized that they were just normal people helping out around town. He also said that if there was anything that needed to be done, he and Kotori would do it. Unfortunately, this didn't quite go according to plan. They still saw their princess as a princess so they didn't ask her anything. On the other hand, Umi was slightly different. They asked him for minor things, but he ended up helping out on his own initiative.

Kotori wanted to help as much as she could, but everyone said that it was unnecessary. However, this didn't stop her. She stayed on the sideline, but observed everything they did. She decided to stay with the gardeners since she loved that kind of thing. They planted so many beautiful flowers and other plants that she couldn't help but stay quiet.

"These are so beautiful." When they heard her words, they were so thrilled. They were never complimented on their work and to hear it come from their princess made it seem so much better.

"Thank you so much princess. You're more than free to take whatever you like."

"Oh, no thank you. I'd rather see these flowers in full bloom than keep them for myself." Somehow, the gardeners' attitude changed. They decided to hand Kotori some of the flowers and asked her to plant them. She smiled and gladly got to work. The whole time she was working, she kept her head down as so she could focus. She didn't realize it, but most of the gardeners were looking at her in awe. They couldn't believe that she was taking such joy in doing "hard labor."

Once that work was over, she smiled and hugged every one of them. This also caught them by surprise. They were all dirty and yet, she didn't care at all. She looked happy and that was enough for them to return her gesture and keep the good times rolling.

More time went by and most the gardeners insisted that Kotori take a break. She tried getting past them, but they wouldn't budge so she just took a seat on a nearby bench and watched. This allowed her to look around and she saw Umi hard at work working on some construction just across the way. As her eyes were fixated on Umi, an old lady walked up to her and asked if she could join her. Kotori gladly scooted over as the old lady took her seat.

"Princess, you are so beautiful." That comment caught her off guard since they weren't really in a conversation to begin with.

"Oh, thank you. You look very beautiful yourself."

"Aw sweety, your kind words are too much. Thank you though."

"You're welcome." Kotori put her eyes back on Umi and saw him working like any real man would. He lifted wood boards and hammered them down. After a few seconds, the old lady took notice of this and brought up something else.

"Is that young man your husband?" Kotori shot back from that strong acquisition.

"U-Um, not precisely. We're not married yet."

"Ah, well you better get on that because he's a sight for sore eyes." The mood change again, but only this time, Kotori took control of the conversation.

"Yeah he is. I always believed that fairy tales weren't real, but he made me think that they were. He's something else. I can't even describe it. One moment, I think I understand him and then the next moment totally confuses me. I just don't get it. I mean, I love it though. He's fun, interesting, and extremely caring. I had no idea men could be like that." The only thing the old lady could do was smile, but once Kotori was finished, she stepped in with one final comment.

"That just means you're in love. That man is going to take such good care of you. In return, show him as much as love you can." The old lady stood up and started to walk away when Kotori grabbed her hand. She turned around and couldn't believe what was happening to her.

"I will. Thank you so much for your kind words." Now, the old lady was flustered.

"Y-You're welcome." Kotori let go of her hand and she walked off.

Meanwhile, Umi was hard at work. The construction went a lot quicker with his help. He did most of the heavy lifting as well as some of the building. As Kotori watched him work, she couldn't believe what he was capable of. He just had some aura to him that made everyone work as team while keeping a smile on their faces. That aura eventually rubbed off onto Kotori as she found herself smiling as she watched. As the work started to finish, she overheard many conversations that all brought Umi and how kind and helpful he was. Once she saw that they were done, she got up from her seat and walked towards him. That's when she saw that same old lady from before walk up to Umi. They had a small conversation and it ended up with Umi kissing her on the hand. That old lady was the luckiest person in town at the time. They parted ways and he walked back to Kotori.

"So did you enjoy it?"

"I think I should ask you same thing. You pretty much did all of the work."

"Haha, that's what you call unexpected. At first, they didn't need my help, but eventually, they gave in and let me do most of the hard work. It was nice since some of them were actually kind of old." Kotori sighed.

"I don't get you at all."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a prince and yet you don't even act like it."

"Wow, there's no need to sugarcoat that."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. Usually we, meaning royalty, try to avoid labor like that, but you just invited it. Are you sure you're a real prince?"

"Princess, I'm hurt. You don't believe me?"

"Of course I believe you. I just think it's strange how you can act so noble and so normal at the same time." Umi smiled.

"That's what I meant by unexpected things. Even though we don't see it coming, it enjoy it regardless."

Kotori was simply speechless. The more time she spent with this man, the more she thought that he wasn't even real. On the other hand, the more he spent with Kotori only made him love her more. She was hopeless, but able at the same time. It was a weird combination, but a combination that he would totally put up with. Once the day started to come to an end, Umi walked Kotori back to the castle where she invited him for dinner. He gladly accepted, completely unaware of what was to come.

Once dinner started, Kotori's parents had all kinds of questions for him. He didn't expect them to be so forward with him so he was forced to answer them to the best of his ability. They asked him about his past as well as other things about his family. He answered them honestly and thoroughly. Eventually, her parents ran out of questions since he gave them such good answers that they couldn't think of anything to throw him off of his feet. However, Kotori's father had one more question that was sure to do the trick. He waited until things at the dinner table calmed down before finally asking the sweeper question.

"Are you planning on creating an heir?" He asked that while Umi was eating something so he nearly choked.

"Umi-chan, are you okay?" Kotori tapped him on the back a few times as he coughed a bit more before answering her father.

"Excuse me, your highness. What you're asking me…"

"Are you going to create an heir?" He gulped loudly. He knew what her father was asking, but this question was so different from the previous ones that he had to think carefully about this one.

"You mean… with your daughter?" He nodded his head deviously. He knew he trapped him in a corner. Umi looked at Kotori who was noticing his own panic. He took a deep breath and came up with the best answer he could. "I don't believe that is up to me. I vowed to protect your daughter and I don't want to bring about any harm to her. If she feels she is okay with that idea, I will fulfill her request. Until then, your daughter will remain untouched." Kotori's heart was about to break. That was such a good answer that she just had to look over at her father. When she did, she saw him with the blankest look on his face. She then looked at her mother who was trying to hold in her laughs. She knew Umi totally outplayed her husband and that there was nothing left to test. Umi was the right choice for Kotori.

After dinner, they all got ready. Umi waited outside of Kotori's room until she was done changing. She opened the door and Umi turned around to see an even more beautiful girl standing before him. Her hair was down, she was in a night gown, and yet, she didn't look any different. Most people dirty their look a bit when going to bed, but she was still perfect.

"Wow, you look so beautiful."

"Umi-chan, please. This is my sleepwear. You don't comment on something like this."

"I apologize. It's just a force of habit. Anyway, I will bid you a good night and I will see you in the morning." He grabbed her hand and kissed it. As he turned around to leave, she held onto his hand and refused to let go.

"Wait, you're leaving?"

"Of course. My place is at the inn."

"But… You can't go."

"I will see you at the crack of dawn. I promise."

"Go ahead a stay. You already promised me that my daughter was sacred grounds." They looked down the hall and saw Kotori's parents walk into their room.

"See? You can stay. Come in." She pulled him into the room and closed the door behind her. Umi was so confused. Why was this girl so adamant on having me stay the night? This thought was running rampant in his head. He turned around and saw Kotori prepare her bed. She put another pillow next to hers and climbed in. However, that wasn't it. She kept the blankets open, indicating Umi to join her.

"What are you doing?"

"Join me."

"Princess, I'm sorry, but that is one request that I can't fulfill."

"But we're already together. It doesn't matter." He walked over to her and threw the blankets over her body.

"Let's just take our time. These things will eventually happen over time. Good night princess. I'll see you in the morning." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. After that, he headed out the door and found his own room for the night.

…

Back at her parent's room, they were still talking about Umi. Her mother was on board the Umi ship, but her father was still a little iffy about him. She was confused as to why since everything he's done was for Kotori. There wasn't an ounce of selfishness in him. That's what bothered her father. He told her that men were this perfect and he was determined to break him eventually. He was doing a father's work: Making sure his little girl was with the right man and for the right reasons.

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

The Prince and Me

Chapter 7

Umi's True Strength

"Alright, everyone settle down. I know we're all pretty angered about what happened, but I have a solution."

"What is your proposal then?"

The head man gestured some next to him to take a step forward.

"I have acquired the greatest thief in the Nation of Kingdoms. His record is perfect and he's never been caught. He's also never been seen before, as you all can tell from his apparel." The man was cover by a huge cloak that covered his entire body. He remained silent as the meeting was coming to a close.

"So this is your plan?"

"Yes. He'll break in and bring her back to us. Then we can have her all to ourselves. Hahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

…

Umi was tossing and turning like no tomorrow, but he just couldn't find a good position to sleep. The atmosphere of this castle was still a little strange so it was hard for him to feel comfortable. Once he realized that he couldn't fall asleep, he put his normal clothes back and decided to take a walk around the castle. Right from the start, he saw guards patrolling the floors. He bid them a friendly "good evening" and continued on his walk.

Even the place didn't feel like home, it didn't looked like a home. There were pictures of Kotori's family all over the place. Usually castles were filled with pointless pictures and horrible decorations, but this place was designed very well. There wasn't a single place in there that didn't put a smile on his face. He continued to meet guards during his tour, but he noticed that the frequency of seeing them got less and less. That's when he got curious. He walked the same way he came from, but saw no one on the way back. He tried to remain calm, but he knew that something was going on.

He quickly ran back to his room and noticed that the door was slightly open. He remembered perfectly that he closed it completely when he left. He was also smart enough to take his sword with him so he put one hand on the grip and the other on the door handle, slowly opening the room. Unfortunately, there was no one in there. That's when he had another thought. Was Kotori alright? He ran to Kotori's room as quickly as he could. When he got there, he pressed his ear against the door, but didn't hear anything. He was contemplating on going in since Kotori was probably asleep and didn't want to disturb so he placed his back against the door and waited for something to happen. However, that something happened very quickly. He suddenly felt a draft come from the edges of the door. Unless she left her window open, there would be no reason for a draft.

"Forgive me princess." He barged right through the door and noticed the window was wide open. When he turned his head to look at her bed, she was gone. "Princess." He ran to the window and leaned out. Right as he did, he saw a man in a cloak sliding down the roof. "Hold it right there!" Wasting no time, he hurled himself out of the room and down the roof. The man had Kotori hoisted over his shoulders which made things difficult. There was no way for him to attack him directly.

When the roof came to an end, the man kicked off and landed right in the middle of the courtyard. As Umi got closer, he saw a whole bunch of bodies lying on the ground and knew that his speculations were right. Before the thief could reach the gate, Umi pulled out a small knife and threw at the gate. The knife hit the gate just a few inches from the thief's face which forced him to jump backwards. Eventually, Umi made back onto the ground with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Now, I don't know who you are. All I'm asking is for you to put the princess down gently and no one has to get hurt."

"You know? I could have sworn I made sure no one else was left."

Umi's eyes widened. Did that mean her mother and father were killed too?

"Haha, you're quite the worrisome fellow. Don't worry. This little bird is the only reason why I'm here."

"Well, you made a big mistake not dealing with me."

"Oh, is this a challenge?"

"Put the princess down and we can settle this like men."

From underneath the cloth covering his face, he smiled and abided by Umi's request. He gently set her down on the cold ground and got ready to fight. However, before he could even pull out his weapon, Umi appeared right in front of him and violently shoved the butt of his sword into the man's gut.

"Guh!" As she started to collapse, Umi held him up and held him close.

"Who are you?"

"That's none of your business, bub."

Umi wasn't having any of it. He gripped him by the neck and tossed him across the courtyard. His body rolled around like a ragdoll while Umi was still holding strong.

"I'm not going to ask again. Who are you and who hired you?" Umi's voice got substantially louder which woke up some more parts of the castle. Lights turned on as guards made their way into the courtyard. They were able to examine the situation and see a thief at the mercy of Umi's hands. "There's nowhere to go. Cooperate and I'll be sure to let you go safely."

The man struggled to return to his feet, but Umi's attack proved to be most effective. The pain in his stomach lingered while his arms and legs were still in shock from the force of the attack. Eventually, he managed to get upright after a few failed attempts. Once he could stand, he pulled something out of his pocket and threw at the ground. It was a smoke bomb. All of the guards covered their eyes and then frantically yelled to being that man down. As he tried to escape, Umi appeared right behind him.

"You're not going anywhere." Umi violently smashed his palms into two specific parts of the man's back which completely immobilized him. He then grabbed his arm and put it behind his back as far as it could go. Finally, Umi used his body to propel them back to the ground.

"Gaaahhh!" His body crashed hard with Umi's right on top of his.

"Find him now!"

"Don't worry. I've got him." Umi lowered his body to his ear and whispered some very frightening words. "Your body won't be able to move for a while so you're spending the night in the dungeon. In the morning, I'll pardon you, but I want you to go to whoever who hired and tell them that if they endanger the princess' life one more time, I won't show any mercy to them." He pulled his body up and handed him over to the guards. He gave them the rundown of the situation and then walked over to Kotori. He got down beside her and gently placed her head on his lap. It was obvious that she was put to sleep. "Princess. Princess, wake up." He gently shook her body until she squirmed. That was all he needed. He picked her up in his arms and carried her back to her room.

When they got back, Kotori finally opened her eyes to see Umi set her down on her bed. She immediately jerked around in fear.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm so sorry. You were kidnapped and I guess they put you under to make things easier. Don't worry though. You're safe now."

Kotori looked around the room and saw that the window was open. That's when she realized that was closed when she went to bed. Out of nowhere, tears started to form up in her eyes as she threw herself into Umi's chest.

"Aahhh, Umi-chan, thank you. Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem. I'm supposed to protect you. Ow!"

Kotori slapped him in the face.

"Why do you have to say it like that?" She squeezed him tighter which made him wrap his arms around her.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't let anyone take you away from me."

"That's better."

"What happened?! We heard noises. Kotori, are you okay?" Her parents burst through the day to see this little late night encounter which immediately angered her father. "You said you wouldn't try anything on my daughter, you little liar!"

"No, your majesty, this is not what it…"

"Your highness. We have successfully imprisoned the thief."

Her father's rage immediately was brushed away at the sound of the guard's voice. He turned around slowly and scratched his head.

"Thief. Right, the thief. Excellent job. You may go about your business."

The guard bowed and left the room. Meanwhile, her father turned back around with a much different look than before.

"Would you mind explaining whatever is going on?"

"Of course sir. You see…"

"A thief tried to kidnap, but Umi-chan stopped he before he could. He was just telling me that everything was alright and that I could go to bed safely." She was telling the truth and there was no way he thought she was lying since the guard confirmed everything and that he was kind of clueless on the whole situation himself.

"I see. Well… Thank you Umi. I don't know what I can do for you."

"It's perfectly alright, your majesty. Seeing your daughter safe is all that matters to me."

"Alright then. Enjoy the rest of your night." He stepped out while Kotori's mother made her way over to him. She leaned on his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you for rescuing my daughter.

"My queen, I can guarantee your daughter's safety."

"I know," she said with a smile. After that, she headed back to her room while the two of them were left alone.

"You should get some rest, princess. We all need our beauty sleep." Umi attempted to tuck her back inside the blankets, but she fought back.

"Is this your way of saying goodbye for the night?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't leave me alone. I still don't feel safe." Kotori's eyes started to water yet again and this time, Umi couldn't fight back. She knew that things were still a little on edge so he grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to her bed.

"Alright, I'll stay right here and make sure nothing happens to you."

"You can sleep with me if you want."

"Princess, I already told you that those things can happen over time. Now get some rest." He leaned her back onto the bed and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night princess."

"Good night Umi-chan."

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

The Prince and Me

Chapter 8

Departure

"How did you fail? You were supposed to be the best!"

"I'm sorry, but I have faced many people throughout my lifetime. I just have never fought against someone like that. He's… He's on a different level."

All of the men in the room were speechless. They didn't know what to do. This was the plan that they were putting all of their effort in, but it still ended up failing. They took some time to think about what to do next until one of them suggested something completely out of context.

"We are all a part of wealthy kingdoms." He waited for them to nod their heads. "And we have all solemnly sworn to be loyal to each other. However, our majesties only provided a son. The Minami family is the only one who gave birth to a daughter and it's obvious that they have no plans to try for a son. She is our chance. Together, we will bring war to their doorstep and eventually, she will have to be with us."

"Hahahaha!"

…

When morning came around, Kotori woke up as the sun gently laid across the face. Right as her eyes opened, she saw Umi leaning back against his chair, peacefully sleeping. She looked down and saw that he was holding her hands. That immediately warmed her heart. She tried sitting up, but this immediately woke him up as well.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine. I've been awake for hours. I was just waiting for you to wake up."

"Aw, you're too sweet." She knew he was lying, but liked his attempt anyway.

A knock came from the door and Kotori allowed whoever it was to enter. As the door swung open, a guard walked in with a letter in his hand. He told them that it was for Umi and Umi stood up. He walked over to the letter and skimmed it through. Unfortunately, there were a few words that caught his attention so he had to leave the room. Kotori watched the whole thing and knew something was up so she climbed out of bed and ran over to the door. She pressed her ear against the door, but didn't hear anything from the outside. A few minutes went by when the door opened and Umi walked back into the room.

"What were you doing?"

"Um, nothing."

"Uh huh, sure you weren't. Anyway, let's get ready. I think it would be nice to have breakfast with your parents."

"Aw. I thought we could go out again… Just the two of us."

"I promise we'll do that again. I just want to talk with all of you again."

"Fine." Kotori walked off and got ready. Umi went his way and got ready as well.

Once they were ready, they went to the dining room and joined her parents. The meal started off as any other. They complimented the food and asked each other how they all slept. Once the formalities were over, Umi started off with the topic of the day.

"Your majesties, I would just like to say that it has been an honor to be with you all for this amount of time. However, there is something that I need to say." He stood up and straightened his clothes. "I received a letter today that my kingdom is under attack. Even though our military is strong, my father is not able to lead the nation in a time of war so I must fill in for him. I don't know how long I will be, but I will return for you daughter. After all, we still aren't wed yet. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must take my leave." Without saying another word, he left the table in a hurry.

Meanwhile, Kotori was completely caught off guard by this topic. She watched him leave and then turned to her parents in confusion. Unfortunately, they didn't say anything to her. It only took her a few more seconds to get up from her chair and chase after him. Her chase eventually led her to the docks where all of his men were already there packing their things onto his ship.

"Umi-chaaan!"

He turned his head to see Kotori running at him.

"Princess…" Before he could even finish his sentence, she smashed her body right into his and hugged him as tight as she could.

"You can't go. You can't leave me here."

"I know, but I promise that I will come back. I still have to be loyal to my country. You understand that, right?" He looked down and saw her shaking her head violently. "Princess…" He pushed her off of his body and held her at arm's length. "The entire time I'm away, I will be thinking of you and only you. You will be in my thoughts and my dreams. I promise I won't forget about you."

All of that wasn't enough. She shoved her face back into his body and shook her head like some kind of child.

"If I can't make you stay then I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not. I can't have you life be at risk just to be with me."

"I'm not listening. I'm coming with you."

He turned his head to see that his men were all packed up and ready to go. He had to part ways with her, but he had to do it in a way that would be easiest for the both of them. He took a deep breath and brought her off of his body one more time.

"Princess, I promise I will come back. I will write to you every day and…" He couldn't finish his sentence. Kotori wrapped her arms around his neck and stole a kiss from his lips. He was completely thrown off guard by this and didn't even know what was happening to him until after it was all over.

"No, I'm coming with you. I have to make sure that you're safe since no one else is going to."

There was no hiding that smile that Kotori managed to put on Umi's face. Her purity and desire to be with him was all too obvious so he decided to go with it. He called some of the castle guards over and told them to relay this turn of events over to their majesties. They bid the two of them farewell and went their separate ways.

The ship left the bay and set sail for the Isle Kingdom where Umi was eager to return to. Both of his parents were on the elderly side of life so this was definitely a moment where he had to step up as prince and show his people that he can inherit the throne. As he maintained his grand stature, Kotori was completely wrecked. This was her first time out to sea and she was having it. All of the swaying and rocking going on was making her sick. Luckily, Umi noticed this and carried her to his special quarters underneath the deck. When she got there, she immediately noticed something special about that room. She wasn't feeling sick at all while she was in that room.

"What's going on?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I was feeling horrible just a few seconds ago. Why don't I feel that way now?"

"Haha, this room was specially made to prevent sea sickness. It involved a lot of construction and science that I don't want to bore you with." He set her down on his bed and pulled the blankets over her body. "Believe it or not, I also got seasickness when I was younger. I had to travel everywhere for my father and this really made things easier. Eventually, I just got used to the flow of the sea. The waves are so soothing and it just calms my mind. My parents named me after the sea because of my hair. I didn't really understand it until my first trip. And now, I just feel at home whenever I'm out here." He looked down at Kotori was captivated by this story. "You can just go to sleep. The trip is going to be a long one and my princess needs her beauty sleep."

"But I want to be with you."

"Don't worry. I'll be right by your side watching over you."

"Okay… I guess that's okay."

After a while, the thought of being at sea put her to sleep. Umi's bed was very warm and very comfortable that it made falling asleep even easier. Meanwhile, he stayed by her side and made sure that nothing bothered her. Thankfully, his crew didn't call upon his help since keeping a ship going while being out at sea is quite the challenge.

The days went by and Kotori mostly stayed inside his room. Of course, Umi had to check on things outside, but other than that, he spent most of his time with Kotori. They talked nonstop about other fun things in their lives. Eventually, it got to the point where Kotori asked about his parents and that's when Umi got to brag a bit. His parents weren't that special, but Kotori managed to have some fun listening to his stories. Hearing about the foundation of another kingdom is always fascinating and since it was coming from Umi, Kotori enjoyed that much more.

The trip went on until the crew started to shout above deck. This caught their attention and the two of them headed up to the deck. When they did, they saw huge islands in the near distance. Everyone had a smile on their face, but Kotori couldn't really take the hint.

"Umi-chan, what's that?"

He grabbed her hand and smiled.

"That is the Isle Kingdom. Princess, this is my homeland."

End of Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9

The Prince and Me

Chapter 9

The Isle Kingdom

 **Note** **:** I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday season.

Once their ship made it into the main bay, Kotori was star struck. All of the islands that he talked about were in plain sight and all had something special about it. The main island had the castle and that alone was stunning. It was huge and very beautiful. Kotori's castle couldn't compare to it at all. The ship docked and everyone started to unload their things. Umi asked for her hand as he guided her off of the ship and into town. Unfortunately, once they arrived, things got interesting and a fast pace.

"Prince Umi!"

"Prince Umi is back!"

"Oh my gosh, he's so handsome!"

"I want him! I want him so hard."

Kotori was immediately introduced to the huge swarm of girls that were waiting for his return. Luckily, they were held back by the royal guards, but it was ridiculous to see how many of them were there to welcome him back. Kotori looked at him and he was just smiling and waving to them. It was a subtle reaction, but for some reason, she was expecting something a little less mature.

"Um, Umi-chan, do all of these people live here?"

"Yeah, about that, my father liked to advertise me to all of the woman of the kingdom so I'm sorry if this kind of seems distracting."

"No, it's fine."

"Come on. I need to introduce you to my parents before I'm called to the front lines."

At that moment, Kotori got really scared of those words. She knew that she wouldn't get to send a lot of time with him since he was here for only one reason and that was to lead the army in his father's stead. He guided her to the castle grounds where all of the guards welcomed him back home. That's when they told him that his parents were in their rooms. He took a deep breath and headed inside. Their first stop was his mother's room.

"Umi-chan, why aren't your parents staying in the same room?"

"My mother has a fragile heart and can't really stand to see my father in this state."

"Oh."

Umi opened the door and saw his mother laying on her bed. She was eagerly waiting for him, but once she made eye contact with him, she couldn't stay calm. She climbed off her bed and walked over to him.

"Oh, my boy, welcome back."

"Hello mother, it's good to be back."

"Umi, I think you're forgetting to introduce me to this beautiful, young woman."

"Of course. My queen, I would like to introduce you to the beautiful princess, Minami Kotori, of Vanguard Kingdom."

Umi's mother suddenly opened her mouth in shock. She knew why her son had left, but she wasn't expecting this at all.

"Oh my God. Did you… Are you… Umi? Is this…"

"Yes mother. She has chosen me to be her husband."

"Aw, my boy is all grown up now."

"Okay, okay. Very funny. I hate to do this to you, but I'm short on time. I have to see Father before I head out."

"I understand. I will watch over your Kotori-chan."

"Thank you mother." He stepped out and headed down the hall to where his father was located. He slowly opened the door and poked his head in. The room was silent and dark. There was a rough breathing sound that was coming from the other end of the room. Umi took one more breath before entering the room. "Father, I'm home."

"U…mi, is that y-you?"

"I'm here." He knelt down by the side of the bed and grabbed his father's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"O…kay. How about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm about to head out to the frontlines. Is there anything you need from me because I will do it?"

"No, no. I just want to know how you are."

Umi was about to say something, but immediately held back. In this situation, there was something more important that should have been said instead of what Umi wanted to say. He thought it over one more time and spoke his mind.

"I managed to meet the woman of dreams. She's so beautiful, sweet, and just like mother. Whenever I see her, I just… I get so intoxicated. It's almost like I can't breathe and yet, she always tells me that I know what I'm doing and that she's the one who's unsure of everything. That's one thing I don't get about her. She thinks that I'm strong, but I'm not. You know this."

"Yeah, I do."

"I'm just confused. She thinks I'm some prince from a fairy tale, but I just do see it. What makes me special? I'm not special in any way. You always said that you were the best when it comes to women. Could you help me out with this one?"

"Umi… You know that I passed that legacy on to you. Every woman in our kingdom wants to be with you. You're a stunning young man. You're caring and thoughtful; everything a woman wants in her life. I don't see why you're confused."

"It's just… This girl is so special and I don't want to ruin anything with her."

"You won't." At that moment, he started to cough and Umi grabbed the glass of water that was on the table next to him. "Thank you." He drank the entire glass and luckily, that ridded him on that minor cough attack.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Listen. I'm here to fight for our kingdom. I promise I will come back and I promise that I'm going to make you better again. I love you." He leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Stay strong father." He stood up and left the room. Kotori was right outside waiting for him with such concern.

"How is he? Is he okay? Should I not say hi?"

"I'm sorry princess. It would be best to leave him alone. Aside from that, I must take my leave. My mother will take good care of you." Umi kissed her on the forehead and started to walk away. Unfortunately, Kotori managed to grab his hand before he could escape.

"Are you coming back? Please tell me you're coming back."

"I'm coming back. I have you two ladies who I have to take care so I don't have the luxury of dying."

Hearing those words sent a chill down Kotori's spine.

"Please don't use that word."

"I'm sorry." He put his other hand over hers and looked her in the eyes. "Princess, I swear that I will make it back to you." Without another word, he stormed out of the castle and made his way to the frontlines of the battle.

The battle was happening near the outskirt islands so the mainland wasn't in any danger. Also, it gave Umi and his men the advantage since they were the best naval military amongst all of the other kingdoms. Being an island kingdom made other kinds of warfare hard and Umi's kingdom made sure that they were the strongest when it came to sea warfare. As this was happening, Umi's mother was taking good care of Kotori. They were spending some quality together and Kotori was actually enjoying it. His mother was a lot different than how she was expecting her to be.

"So, my beautiful Kotori-chan, how are you liking things here?"

"Things here are wonderful. I fell in love right as I got here. There was just something special about this place. I'm jealous, your majesty."

"Oh, don't be like that, sweety. I'm almost certain your kingdom is even more beautiful than ours." She looked at Kotori and could tell that her generous words were a little too much for her. "Anyway, enough of the boring stuff. Is my son treating you right?"

Out of nowhere, Kotori's face shined so bright.

"You're highness, your son is literally from a fairy tale. He's done so many things for me that I just cannot explain. He's kind, loving, and thoughtful. I wish I could think of more words, but whenever I do, they just get jumbled around in my home. I want to thank you so much for raising him. He's an angel."

"Aw, thank you. But I didn't do much raising. Almost all of it was thanks to his father."

Kotori's eyes suddenly shot open.

"His father… How is he?"

"Well, there's no easy way of saying this so I'll just come out and say it. His father has come down with an illness that there is no cure for. Our doctors have been trying everything in their power to get him healthy again, but it's just hard. His father means the world to him. I just don't want Umi to see him again in that condition. I doubt you could tell, but he was in so much pain after he exited his father's room. I don't think I could see him go through that again."

"Your highness, I know I'm asking something ridiculous, but… Would I be able to see his father?"

His mother took a second or two to really think about that answer.

"Can you be strong enough in front of him?"

Kotori nodded her head and his mother decided to take her up to his father's room. She slowly opened the door and guided Kotori inside. It was dark and very quiet. There was only one bed inside with one body on it. It was his father's.

"Excuse me, your majesty, how are you feeling?"

"W-W-Who is that?"

"My name is Minami Kotori. I am the one who chose to marry your son."

"O-O-Oh, you're the one. Let me get a good look at you."

She walked over to the side of his bed and sat down on the chair. When she sat down, he turned his head and she could easily tell that he was ill. He looked weak and so lost. However, she knew she had to stay strong even though this sight broke her heart. He did his best to examine her looks and was immediately brought to a smile.

"Wow, my son was right. You are beautiful."

"Huh?"

"My son talked all about you. It's obvious that he really loves you."

"Well, you're son is wonderful man. He's like something out of a fairy tale."

"C-Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I don't have much time left. I'm asking you to take care of my son. My death will take a heavy toll on him, but I need you to be there for him. He always tried to keep a strong heart, but he's just like his mother. He's fragile. Please, love him and tell him that you care. C-Can you do that for me?"

She grabbed his hand and looked him in the eyes.

"Of course. I won't let you down."

"Thank you."

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

The Prince and Me

Chapter 10

Things That Are Lost

A week went by, but none of them heard anything from Umi. Umi made it a point to not get his girls involved so he handled everything on the frontlines of the battle. Meanwhile, the girls were just doing anything to occupy their time. They got even closer to each other which made Kotori happy. It almost felt as if she had a sister. She totally disregarded the Queen's age, but she somehow acted very young and very relatable to her. This made things a lot better for them. Their conversations were always fun and never awkward.

As the day came to an end, the front door opened which made the two of them extremely happy. They ran to the entrance and saw Umi standing there. He looked so tired and so beat up. However, he kept his promise to come back. They slowly walked towards him and he slowly raised his head.

"Princess, mother… I'm home."

"Umi-chaaan!" Kotori ran to him and jumped into his arms. He grabbed her out of the air and spun her around. "I missed you so much. I was so worried about you."

"I missed you too, but I told you that I would make it back to you."

"Yes, you did say that."

"I'll never break my promise." He squeezed her tighter and closed his eyes. For some reason, this embrace was unlike any other. Kotori felt so warm and having her in his arms made him feel so safe.

"I hope my mother wasn't too mean to you."

"Of course not. Your mother is a sweetheart. We had such a good time together."

"That's good to hear. How are you mother?"

"I'm fine. Kotori-chan kept me company. She's a sweetheart herself."

"How's father?"

At that moment, the two of them were completely silent. They wanted to talk about something else since he just got back from the battlefield. Unfortunately, Umi only had the intention of asking that and nothing else. He didn't tell them, but as he was fighting, he couldn't stop thinking about his father. He wanted to be by his side in this time of need, but had to serve his kingdom. Now that he was back, he would continue to be there for him.

"How is he?"

Kotori didn't respond. His mother just shook her head. That's when Umi couldn't hold it anymore. He broke free of Kotori's hug and headed upstairs. The two of them tried to stop him, but it just wasn't enough. He arrived at his room and bashed through the door. Right as he entered, he saw their doctors cleaning up their equipment.

"What the hell are you doing? He needs that." Umi's voice started to grow louder while everyone else was completely silent. "Mother, what are they doing? Tell them to stop."

"Umi, there's something that we need to tell you."

"No." He turned around and headed to his father's bedside. He knelt down and grabbed his hand. "Father, I've returned." He immediately knew something was wrong. His hand was cold and he couldn't hear any breathing from him. "Father? You're asleep, right?" Umi gently put his hand on his father's shoulder to try and shake him, but it was no use.

"Umi-chan, please hear us out for a second."

He suddenly turned and looked Kotori right in the eye. His own eyes were red and tearing up. This was a sight that Kotori had never seen before. This made her speechless once again. Without saying anything else, he got up and stormed out of the room. The two of them watched him leave and didn't know what to do. For the both of them, this was the first time they had ever seen Umi lose control of himself. He was normally so strong. This was such a change of character that it was just too much to handle. However, they did know that this was bound to happen. His father was on the verge of death and this death alone would take a huge toll on Umi. Now that it has happened, things were already so different.

…

The days seemed to drag on and Umi secluded himself from the two of them. The death of his father hit him a lot harder than anyone expected. Umi tried to stay strong, but he couldn't do it. He loved his father and to see him go was something else.

His mother also took it very hard. This was the one thing she wanted to avoid. She wanted her boy back. She wanted to see his smile again. Unfortunately, it would be nearly impossible to feel better. On the other hand, Kotori was determined to make him feel better. She just didn't know how to go about it. It was just a struggle to find him since the castle was so big. Whenever she did see him, just the sight of his blank face made it incredibly hard to express her feelings to him. She wanted to help him with all of her heart, and she wasn't going to let anything stop her. Finally, when she walked into her room, he was standing at the balcony all alone. This was her chance to make him feel better.

"Umi-chan, may I come in?"

He didn't respond. Kotori wasn't going to back down though. She stepped inside and slowly walked up next to him.

"Are you okay?"

"Mmm."

"Listen, Umi-chan… Your mother and I are very worried about you. We haven't really seen you around lately and when we do, we just never hear from you."

"I'm fine, princess."

"I'm sorry, but I can't believe that." She turned to him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"You are not fine. Where's the dashing level-headed Umi-chan that I've been with for all of this time? Where's that man? I want to see him again."

"Kotori, I'm fine."

Her eyes widened as tears started to roll down her face. She suddenly threw her arms around him and squeezed him as tight as she could.

"You just called me Kotori. I know you're not alright." She wanted to squeeze him more, but she was already doing everything she could. "I know there's not a lot I can do for you, but I can offer you this. I love you. I want to make you happy." She took a deep breath and let go of him. "My body is yours. You can do whatever you want with me."

Umi finally reverted his eyes to her and Kotori immediately saw all of the pain in those eyes. It made her tear up even more. Finally, Umi rested his hands on her shoulders and spoke actual words to her.

"Your body is mine."

At that moment, Umi forced a kiss onto her lips which took her by surprise. The weight of his body forced her back into the room. He continued to push her back until she fell back onto the bed. When he crashed on top of her, he ripped her clothes off and started to kiss all around her body. Although Kotori told him that this was okay, she could barely handle it. His gentleness and kindness were all gone. It was almost as if he was a completely different person.

"Umi-chan…"

He didn't listen. He continued to ravage her body until it wasn't enough. Her pants were still on and to him, that was his paradise. As he reached down to rip them off, Kotori, tried to fight him off, but it was no use. He inched closer and closer until something finally snapped in his brain. His body froze which allowed Kotori to cower in fear. When he looked up, he saw tears rolling down her face and that's when he knew that he went too far. He tried to reach out for her, but she just cowered even more. There was nothing he could do or say that would ease the situation.

"I… I am so sorry."

Umi stormed out of the room with nothing but shame lining his face. He didn't know what he had done, but he did know that he made Kotori cry, and that alone was bad enough. He managed to escape to some far corner of the castle while Kotori was trying to hold herself together.

What just happened? Why did he do that? That wasn't the Umi-chan that I knew. Is this my fault? Is he hurting? Can I help him?

All of these things were running through her head. However, she didn't have the time to make out what everything meant. She pulled herself together and walked over to the closet where Umi's mother left her some clothes that she could wear if she wanted to. Once she was done changing, she went on the hunt for Umi one more time. As her search went on, she only had one thought in her head and it was to find Umi. Yes… She was afraid of what might happen, but that didn't matter. She wanted to make sure that he was alright. Right now, his happiness was the most important thing to her.

It seemed as though time went on forever as Umi seemed less likely to be found. After some more time went by, Kotori came across a long hall that she had never been to. She saw one person standing by the window and knew that that was Umi. She took a deep breath and held her ground. This was the best thing to do and she was going to do it.

"U-Umi-chan!" She called out his name and eventually, he turned his head in response. This told her to take some more steps towards him. "A-Are you alright?" She kept her eyes on him as he bowed his head. This told her to take more steps again until she was right in front of him. At this point, Kotori was so nervous that something else might happen, but what happened next completely took her by surprise.

Umi dropped to his knees and started to cry. Without wasting any time, Kotori wrapped her arms around his body and did her best to console him.

"Sshhh, sshhh. It's alright. I'm here."

"Aaaahhhhhhh!" Hearing his voice break through the silence was something else. It wasn't his normal voice. There were obvious hints of weakness and vulnerability. Kotori knew that this was her chance to take the reins.

"Let it out. I know it hurts, but you have to do this. If you keep holding this in, you'll only end up hurting yourself." Kotori continued to hold him in her arms for quite some time. She had no idea how much time went by. All she knew was that this was a side of Umi that she had never seen before.

End of Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11

The Prince and Me

Chapter 11

Pain to Promises

 **Note:** Hey everyone, I'm so sorry about the late update. The dreaded El Nino is finally hitting my area and my power was knocked out for the whole day. I promise that this won't happen again as long as I can control it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the update.

Kotori embraced Umi for some time. It was a long time and yet, Kotori didn't mind at all. She needed to be there for him since this was a hard time in his life. There was no way he would lie about this so losing one of his parents that played a huge role in his life is such a life-changing experience. Kotori was determined to return Umi to how he normally is. However, she knew that that would be a tough challenge.

"Umi-chan, are you alright?"

At that moment, he suddenly pushed her away.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't deserve to be with you."

"Don't say that. Of course you do. I chose you so that's more than enough…"

"No!" He gripped her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I've hurt you in an unforgiveable way. There's no way I can be accepted by you." He dropped his head and some more tears escaped his eyes. "Please don't try to be nice to me. I have to take you home. I've lost my father and I already broke one of his rules."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"He told me that when I find the woman I love, I'm supposed to treat her angel. I love her and treat like a woman should be treated… Not make her mine by force. I'm sorry." He was about to turn around, but Kotori grabbed his hand before he could. She used her other hand and gently placed it on his cheek to turn him back around. That's when she kissed him on the lips. Their kiss lasted a few seconds before Kotori pulled away.

"I don't care what you do to me. I love you and nothing will ever change that. Please don't leave me."

"Princess, I…" He was stopped mid-sentence as she smacked her hands on his cheeks and made him pucker his lips.

"And no more of this princess stuff. I know I said I don't care what you call me, but I've changed my mind. I want you to call me Kotori. Nothing else, not even princess. Understand?"

"Uh huh…"

"You know what? Let's get married."

"Married?"

"Yeah, we still haven't gotten married yet. And I really want to do it here. You told about that special place on one of the islands. Could we get married there?"

"I mean, we could, but…"

"Then there's no question. We are getting married… tomorrow."

"Eh?!"

"Where's your mother? I'm sure she'd be more than willing to help out." Kotori turned around and left him on the ground to search for his mother. Meanwhile, Umi couldn't believe what was going on. He was so sure that she'd hate him for doing that to her and yet, she was acting as if nothing happened. That's when he had the thought that he didn't deserve. When he thought that, it reminded him of what Kotori told him. She said that he was too good for her and now, it feels like it's the complete opposite.

…

When the next day came around, Umi had a slow start. His mind was a little fumbled due to all of the weirdness that has happened in the past few days. He was also shocked to see that Kotori was not with him. He walked out of the room and saw all of the maids running around and decided to ask one of them what was going on. They told him that they were preparing for his wedding which totally knocked him on his butt. He had forgotten about what Kotori told him yesterday.

He quickly got ready and headed into town. Immediately, he saw that the whole town was bustling. They were all putting decorations for a town-wide celebration of their prized prince getting married. As he continued to walk through, many people came up to him and congratulated him for his successful and well-being in the future. Also, a lot of the young girls went up to him and asked him to reconsider. He graciously declined their request and went on with his day. His walk eventually led him to the docks where his crew was waiting for him.

"Morning Ougi-sama, we are here to escort you to the Sea Empress Island."

"Oh, well thank you." It was obvious that he was so confused, but none of it made sense he arrived at the island.

Right as he got off the ship, decorations were everywhere. All of the people who were there were busy doing something productive. He looked around until a certain called him over and told him that he had to get ready for the wedding reception. That's when he finally came back to reality and followed the man. He took him into a building that was serving as the wedding building. Once inside of the building, he guided him to the dressing room where he changed into a snazzy-looking tuxedo. After some time, a bell echoed across the island indicating the start of the ceremony. Umi took a deep breath and headed to the altar. Everyone got ready for the bride's arrival.

Daaa dun da dun! The wedding march started to play as Kotori made her way down the aisle. Surprisingly, her father was the one walking her down the aisle. Her outright beauty prevented Umi from looking away. He kept his eyes on her until she finally made to him. Her father gave her a kiss on the cheek and gave her hand to Umi. He took her hand and the two of them were together on the altar. The priest went through the normal phrases until it got to the wedding vows. Umi had no idea he had to say something like this so Kotori decided to speak first.

"Sonoda Umi. I didn't know it at the time, but when I first met you, you took my breath away. You were such a gentleman and nothing like how I was told boys acted. When I started to get closer to you, I realized that there was something different about you. You knew how to treat a girl like me and you swept me off my feet and I had no answer to your actions whatsoever. I may not be making much sense, but what I'm trying to say is I love you. I want to be with you. I want to be there for you whenever you need me. You're the one for me."

At that moment, the whole crowd "aw"ed in unison. Now, it was Umi's turn. He quickly had to come up with something breathtaking and honestly, this was Umi's forte.

"To be honest, I don't know what to say." The crowd laughed. "I say that in the best of terms. You're something else. You're beauty glows like the stars in the night sky. Your love and generosity are unlike anyone I've ever met. The only thing I can say is that I can only strive to be like you. I promise to be by your side at all times. Whenever you need me, I will be there and I promise, on my life… That I will keep you safe from any harm. I love you… Kotori."

They "aw"ed once again as the priest closed the ceremony. All that was left was the kiss. When that happened, Umi took a deep breath and gently caressed her cheeks with his hands. He leaned in and gave her the most passionate kiss he could bestow upon her. When their lips touched, Kotori felt as if all of her strength was being drained from her body. However, she didn't mind. She could tell that the man who was kissing her was kissing her because he loved her. The way he held her and the way he kissed her was true love. Kotori loved every bit of it and when it was over, she only wanted more.

The rest of the night wasn't anything too special. They shared their first dance as husband and wife and received so much praise from the townspeople who attended the wedding. Her parents were the last people to visit them and they simply welcomed Umi to the family. That's when he rose to his feet, shook their hands, and thanked them for giving their permission. Meanwhile, Kotori wrapped her arm around his and smiled.

"Umi-chan, are you okay now?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why would you need to ask that?"

"I was just afraid that you were still thinking about what happened the other day."

"Why are you talking about that?"

"You don't need to feel bad. Just forget about it. It never happened." Kotori kissed him on the lips and returned to the party. Meanwhile, Umi was still dumbfounded at how forgiving she was about the whole situation. He knew that he did something horrible and yet, she didn't care about it. That's when he sighed and leaned on the back of his chair.

"I don't deserve you."

End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12

The Prince and Me

Chapter 12

Together at Last

Umi woke up to the light of the morning sun. Once his eyes opened, he immediately saw Kotori right in front of him. His arm was around her and he could feel her bare skin touching his. At that moment, a thought surged into his mind that scared him. Did we…? Did I…? Umi was starting to panic when Kotori gently shrugged her shoulders and woke up. He did his best to wipe off that worried look on his face before she turned around to look at him.

"Good morning Umi-chan." She gave him a good morning kiss and continued to stare into his eyes.

"G-Good morning."

"What's wrong? Did you not sleep well?"

"No, no. I slept fine. It's just that…"

At that moment, Kotori sat up on her side which caused the blankets to slide off of her body. That's when Umi realized that this girl was completely naked. His mind was going insane. There was no way they did it so early. He threw up the blankets over his body and saw that he still had on his pants on. That's when he was finally relieved.

"Oh thank goodness."

"What happened?"

"Huh? Nothing. Why would you think that?"

"Because you're acting very strange right now." Kotori inched closer to him, but Umi couldn't handle it. His face was getting red and that feeling from downstairs was getting the best of him.

"I'm sorry, princess. I can't do this. Please put your clothes on."

"Do what? What are you talking about?"

Umi kicked his legs out from the bed and planted them on the side of the bed.

"Umi-chan, are you alright?" Kotori came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his body. Her bare breasts were pressing against his back.

"Princess, I'm…"

"Hey!" She came over to his side and grabbed his face. "I thought I told you to call me by my name."

"But, I just…"

"You know? I think I understand why you're acting like this."

"You do?"

"I think so. We did party a lot last night. We had our first drinks together. That was pretty fun, but you did kind of have a little too much in my opinion. But nothing happened. Once the party was over, we headed here. You took off your shirt and jumped into bed. For me, I was kind of cold and I wanted to experience how it felt using someone's body heat. That's the only reason why I'm naked." Kotori saw his head drop, but she quickly brought it back up to hers. "You would never do anything like that unless if we both consented to it, right?"

Umi didn't answer.

"Umi-chan, please talk to me. We can't start out like this, not this early in the day. Did something happen?"

"I don't know."

"You do know. You just don't want to tell me."

"I was afraid that I had sex with you."

Finally, Kotori was the one who was silent. To hear him say so directly and so nervously made her feel bad about harping on about it for so long.

"What's so wrong about that? I love you and you love me, right?"

"I'm sorry. It's just… It's about your father and what he said. I promised to protect you and if I did something like that, I just wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"Don't think like that." Kotori came back with an even stronger front. "I want you to love me. Please don't be weirded out by this, but having a child with you is of no concern to me. We'll raise them together. We'll love them, take care of them, and do everything with them. That's what my father really meant."

"Huh?" Umi looked at her with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"My father knows you would never hurt me. I think he just wants the two of us to be happy with whatever we do, and if happiness comes in the form of a child, I wouldn't mind at all. As long as I'm with you, nothing could make me happier."

"Prin… Kotori, I'm sorry. I've been bringing you nothing but trouble. Please forgive me." He dug his head into her chest as she wrapped her arms around his body.

"You were never at fault."

Umi remained in her arms for quite some more time until he was able to calm down. Once things calmed down, the two of them got ready since there was a lot to do. The most important thing on the to-do list was the crowning of the new king. Umi was forced away from Kotori for the time it took to do everything. The ceremony wasn't too long, but being away from Kotori made him anxious and on-edge. Once that was over, the two of them were finally able to be with each other. They visited everyone on the mainland and everyone gave them their sincerest blessings and best wishes. All of the younger girls were dying on the inside while all of the elderly woman were applauding Umi for finding such a beautiful young lady.

After all of the formalities were over, Umi decided to take Kotori to his special spot on the mainland. He guided her to his very special private beach. It was very spacious and had the perfect view of the setting sun. He took off his shoes and immediately ran towards the water. Kotori followed close behind him as the two of them played in the ocean. The waves there weren't too crazy so they were able to have some fun. Umi had to show some restraint since he's been doing some crazy things lately. However, Kotori did not restrain herself. She unleashed a full frontal assault on him that ended with him being tackled down by her.

"Gotcha."

"That's not fair. We never said we could use physical attacks."

"True, but we never said that we couldn't either." Kotori brushed her hand towards his face and splashed a whole bunch of water at him.

"Ugh, bleh. Oh, you're gonna get it now."

"Never." Kotori tried running away, but Umi was too fast. He grabbed her wrist and brought her back onto his body. That's when Kotori stopped her struggling to admire the spectacle that was happening right before her eyes. Water was surrounding the two of them as if it was some kind of bubble. Kotori gently poked the sides of the water bubble and caused ripples. She was so confused that she had to ask what was going on.

"I never told you this, but I have a little secret."

"Little? This doesn't really seem little."

"Do you want me to tell you?"

"Yes please."

"Alright." At that moment, the top of the bubble started to dissipate until the entire thing was gone. "You know how when babies are born, they cry and move around and stuff. Well, I didn't do that. My mother and father checked with all of the doctors from our kingdom, but they didn't know why I was reacting to anything. Time was short so they did the only thing they could think of. They took me to the Sea Empress shrine and let the goddess take care of me. It wasn't very long, but when I returned, I seemed normal, except for the fact that my life was intertwined with the Sea Empress' life. I know it may not make sense, but it's true. That's why I have such a strong connection to the sea. It's my life."

"No wonder…"

"Huh?"

"Oh, uh… I think it's just me being stupid, but I felt something very different when I came here. It was almost like I was protected by some kind of force. When I'm home, I never felt anything like that."

"Well, this kingdom is one of the oldest in existence with so much history and tradition. That's why everyone tries to have their baby on that sacred island… In hopes that the Sea Empress will bless their child's life like she did with mine."

"Umi-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind taking me there?"

End of Chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13

The Prince and Me

Chapter 13

Fairy Tale Come True

 **Note:** I was originally going to make this story a little longer, but I realized that there wasn't much else that I needed to say so this is the finale. I just wanted to thank all of you for supporting this story since this was a bit of an experiment and it seemed to go pretty well. I'm still taking requests as most of my stories are starting to reach their conclusion so if you have an idea and want to run it by me, PM me and I'll see what i can do. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the update.

Umi waited until night came to take Kotori to the sacred Sea Empress Island. To avoid any unwanted attention, they borrowed a life boat and made their way to it. Kotori was so excited to be visiting such a place since it was their kingdom's pride and joy. The trip wasn't very long. Umi rowed the boat around a huge mass of rock before arriving at the island. It was perfectly concealed so coming this way was pretty much the only way to see. He rowed the boat onto shore and carefully got Kotori out of the boat and onto the beach.

"There's no one here."

"Yeah, our kingdom has been experiencing a bit of a drought. Everyone trying to have a child has had a miscarriage."

"Oh my gosh, that's so sad."

"Well, there's not much to be done about it. Nature has its way of telling us certain things. Anyway, I'll show you the place where I was born." He took her hand and guided her through a small little forest.

Once they cleared it, they were introduced to a beautiful little shrine. There was a small walkway that crossed over a small pond. The pond had glowing blue water that took Kotori's breath away. On the other side of the walkway was a shrine that praised the Sea Empress as well a picture. Kotori tried to walk over to it, but Umi stopped her before she could.

"Hold on. There's something we have to do first." Umi knelt down and cup his hand full of the glowing water. When he did, Kotori witnessed another spectacle. The water in his hand remained in a ball shape without deforming at all. Then, the water split up into six droplets and lit up the torch stands surrounding the place. The water remained glowing as Umi recited something special. "Honor thy Queen, ruler of the sea. Bless thee who stand in the presence of such greatness. Hear thy call, love thy words."

At that moment, the pond started to ripple abnormally. That's when Kotori cuddled behind Umi's back and waited until something else happened. Then, the water from the pond shot out and flew around them like some magical water show. The two of them watched as the water trail flowed around them and then towards the shrine. The trails smashed together and started to create something that looked like a person. After a few seconds, the water suddenly returned the pond, leaving behind a beautiful young woman in a blue dress. It was the Sea Empress herself. Umi knelt down and bowed his head. Kotori quickly followed his example.

"My young Umi. You've grown so much."

"My Queen. It is an honor to make your acquaintance once again."

"No need to be so proper. Rise. Let me get a good look at you." The empress walked towards him and put her hands on his face. "Wow, last time I saw you, you were just a little boy. Now, you're so handsome. I bet all of the girls want to be with you."

"Yeah, but I already found someone." Umi turned to the side and introduced Kotori to her.

"How wonderful. So there are humans this beautiful. I'm so glad my little Umi has found someone." She turned to him and whispered something in his ear. Unfortunately, Kotori was unable to hear so she just stood there until they were done. After she finished her little message, she kissed him on the forehead and let the magic pond return her to the sea. Meanwhile, Umi had a troubled look on his face.

"Umi-chan, what's wrong?"

"She… She told me something and I don't really know how to react."

"What did she say? I'm not trying to be nosey or anything. I just thought that I could help."

"That's the thing. She said that my child would be blessed by her like I was. The only thing is…" Umi's face was growing redder by the second.

"What is it?"

Umi sighed and turned to Kotori.

"We would have to make love before her in order for her blessing to become reality."

At that moment, Kotori had the same reaction as Umi. The two of them were a little speechless about the whole thing since it was a pretty high order.

"Don't worry because I made a promise to your father that I…" Umi was unable to finish his sentence as Kotori kissed him on the lips and silencing him.

"I don't care what my father said. I want this. I love you, and that's more than enough reason to do it now."

"Are you sure?"

Kotori kissed him again and when they broke away, Kotori saw that a lovely blanket was left behind by the Sea Empress herself. Umi decided that it was best to do it now. She carried Kotori in his arms as he gently set her down on the blanket and started to give himself to her.

He started out with passionate kisses to her mouth and neck area, making sure that she was alright with it first. After that, he removed his shirt and Kotori took off her dress, revealing her underwear. Umi knew that they were doing it for the Sea Empress so there was nothing wrong with it. He just had a thought in the back of his mind that he couldn't shake, and that alone made him hesitate.

"Umi-chan, are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just… I've never done this before so I'm afraid I'll hurt you."

"It's okay. This is my first time too so we can do this together." Kotori removed her bra and panties. After that, she went over to him and removed the rest of Umi's clothes.

By this point, Umi was already hard so all that was left was to get into position. Kotori laid on her back and pulled Umi close to her. The two of them took another big breath before diving right into it.

Umi looked down to make sure that he was looking at the right hole. Once that was confirmed, he carefully put it inside of Kotori as the two of them moaned out loud.

"Umi-chan, slow down."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were so warm."

"You are too. I can feel you inside me." A few seconds went by before she was ready once again. "Okay, you can go in further."

"Alright." Umi slowly thrust his body forward as Kotori moaned even louder. She could feel him deep inside of her and it felt surprisingly good for her. "I'm all the way. I'm going to start moving now."

"Okay."

Umi slowly thrusted forward and backwards. He arched his body forward and Kotori wrapped her arms around him to keep him close. As the two of them grinded closely, they could feel each other's warmth and it was incredibly comforting.

"Ah, ah, ah. Umi-chan, it feels so good."

"Yeah, it does. Should I go faster?"

"Okay."

Umi thrusted a little faster and this caused an immediate response. Kotori's moans got louder and more intense. This only made Umi harder and longer for her even more. As he fucked her, he decided to do something else to make her feel good. He sucked her boobs and massaged them with his hands. Kotori kept her arms around him to keep that close embrace. A few more minutes went by and Umi started to get a thrilling sensation in his hips.

"Kotori, I-I'm about to cum."

"Me too. Let's do it together." Kotori let go of his body and allowed him to finish the job. With a few more hard thrusts, Umi and Kotori excreted their juices into each other.

"Aaahhhh!"

Kotori held onto Umi as she sucked out of all his cum.

"So warm. Umi-chan, you're inside me forever." She grabbed his face and pulled him down to kiss him. "I love you, Umi-chan."

"I love you… Kotori." He smiled at her and she smiled back as the two of them enjoyed each other's embrace for the rest of the night.

…

A year went by and the two of them returned to Kotori's kingdom. When the doors open, her mother and father were introduced to a beautiful baby boy. They welcomed them back with open arms and thanked Umi for taking such good care of their daughter. They were all happy, especially Kotori. All of this time, she thought that things couldn't go this easily, but thanks to Umi, she believed that dreams really could come true.

The End


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